McAbby Oneshots
by Sambaroses
Summary: A collection of oneshots centering around Timothy McGee and Abigail Sciuto of NCIS, aka. McAbby. Almost all are song-fics, and some are AU (occasionally both!). A few might even contain characters that have died in the actual program, such as Kate, Jenny etc. :3
1. Speak Now

**A/N : Hey everyone! So quite often i'll just write one-shots that then sit on my computer for ages doing nothing but collecting metaphorical dust, so in light of me realising this I decided to publish them on here! Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated, as they help me to improve my writing. Anyway, on with the show! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the songs used, however much i'd like to, i'm just borrowing them for a little bit of fun! The only things I own are the scenarios and the OCs, which both come from my mind. :3**

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><p><strong>Song:<strong> Speak Now by Taylor Swift

**Warnings: **None :)

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><p>Abigail Sciuto was not the type of girl to attend a wedding normally, let alone crash one.<br>And yet there she stood, in a church, on a hot summers day in the middle of July, peering at the other wedding goers cautiously.

Currently she was hiding behind some floor length pastel pink curtains that were successfully hiding both her and the window frame, though it was a bit of a tight squeeze as the curtains had been pulled to the side to let the light in, but she'd managed it.  
>It had been quite a job sneaking in in the first place, for a start she'd had to make herself look normal so as not to draw attention - which was painful in itself - and then she'd had to dodge McGees friends and her own.<p>

The whole team had been there apart from her, smiling and laughing at the prospect of the wedding, having a good time in general.  
>She however, had unfortunately not been invited by Timmys <em>lovely<em> bride to be, who had taken an instantaneous dislike to her from the start, being very nasty when there was no one else around, to the point she'd reduced her to tears.

However, she was pretty beautiful, even though Abby hated to admit it. At least, she was beautiful in looks.

Long, thick ginger hair fell down her back, normally curled to perfection, a pair of large brown eyes that were just wide enough to be pretty and not odd were framed by long, full lashes.  
>She was a curvaceous, hourglass shaped young woman, very much conventionally beautiful, model-esque even. Basically, nothing like Abby thought she was.<p>

Her personality though - in Abbys opinion - was far from beautiful, but everyone else appeared to be fooled by her kind words and sickly sweet smiles. She could hear her now actually, yelling at some poor bridesmaid in another room about her wedding dress. Abigail would see why moments later as Tims bride Lavinia came storming out of the room, stomping past her snotty pastel clad little family as she slammed the door of another, Abby suppressing a giggle at the sight of her. The dress reminded her distinctly of the pastries she would see lining the local bakers window whenever she walked past, large and sufficiently shapeless to say the least.

Final preparations were being made as the many guests started to file into their seats, Abby spotting many familiar faces, including Gibbs and Director Vance.  
><em>Please don't hate me Gibbs for what i'm going to do, please, I'm doing the right thing, I know I am...<em>

The bride was now nowhere to be seen, and her breath caught in her throat when she saw a figure appear at the doorway to the church, making its way to the front of the aisle.  
>Tim.<p>

He was accompanied by his best man Tony, and somehow he must have convinced Lavinia to let Ziva be the maid of honour, as she was accompanying them too, her garish hot pink dress practically blinding everyone around her, even her fellow bridesmaids, of which she only recognised one, Kate.  
>Abby could just tell Ziva had <em>not<em> picked that outfit out herself, as it was so un-Ziva that she actually saw her cringe involuntarily as she stared down at it's skimpy ra-ra skirt.

Pretty much as soon as everyone was in position the organ started to play a song that she could only liken to a death march, and for a girl who slept in a coffin every night that was definitely saying something.  
>The already open doors were this time passed through by the bride who must have exited another way so she could walk up the aisle with her father, floating up the aisle like a pageant queen, a distinctive catwalk strut to her steps as she clasped the pale pink bouquet.<br>This couldn't possibly be what McGee had expected it'd be, pale pink ribbons everywhere, delicate white roses, Lavinia's annoying family, a bride with enough venom to rival a snake. It just couldn't.  
><em>You wish it was me, Timmy, don't you?<em> Well, at least that was what she was hoping he was wishing, even though she'd dumped him all those years ago.  
>Things had changed since then, she was no longer afraid of commitment, no longer afraid of, well, him.<p>

She sunk to a crouching position against the wall, knees brought up to her chest, almost too scared to watch as Lavinia made it to Tims side, and the preacher started to recite words that Abby wasn't even listening to.

" - Speak now, or forever hold your peace. "  
>Filtered into her mind, and she realised that was it, her last chance.<br>Total silence hung in the air, and she knew she had mere seconds to act, only a few seconds to act on her feelings.  
>Suddenly her instincts took over and she got to her feet, pushing the curtain away and stepping forwards, every set of eyes turning to look at her in utter horror.<p>

"I object."  
>She stated loudly, wrapping her arms around herself nervously in an attempt to calm her shaky hands.<br>Timothy was just staring at her, mouth slightly agape, though she honestly wasn't sure if it was just because she'd objected, or because she was standing there in the most normal outfit she could find at short notice. Maybe both she considered, glancing down briefly at her attire, a pale minty green rockabilly dress fell to her knees - complete with white petticoats - matching her simple pale green heels, and her hair was pulled up into a curly updo, little tendrils falling around her shoulders messily. She'd even covered up her tattoos and laid off most of the facial makeup, wearing simple winged eyeliner and a sheer lipgloss in an attempt to blend in with the crowds that were now looking at her as if she was a lunatic.

" Please Timmy, don't say "Yes", just run away now. Don't say a single vow... I really, really need you to hear me out!"  
>She practically shouted, taking another slightly shaky step forwards as she spoke.<p>

"I-I mean, I'm not exactly the kind of girl who should be barging in on a white veil occasion so rudely, and I'm sorry for that.  
>But you Timmy are not the kind of boy who should be marrying the wrong girl."<br>She said surprisingly confidently, though her nervous giggle at the end gave it away, barely audible in fact, but there all the same.  
>There was a long moment of silence after that, though she wasn't gauging anybody elses expressions, as she was only looking at him.<br>Releasing Lavinia's hand he took a step towards Abby, a smile playing at the very corners of his lips.

"I'll meet you when I'm out of my tux, at the back door.  
>Abbs, I... I didn't say my vows..."<br>He replied to her, letting his face break into a proper smile, one that she had missed so much over the last few months.  
>She simply nodded in acknowledgement, grinning back before taking off down the aisle as Lavinia started to realise what was happening, giving chase angrily, though she didn't make it far considering her huge dress, heels, and the 'accidental' appearance of Gibbs leg in front of her as she tried to follow Abigail.<p>

Out of breath but thoroughly happy, Abby hid behind a tree as soon as she got outside, keeping an eye on the back door as she listened to the carnage take place inside, voices floating to her out of the open windows.  
>She could hear Lavinia screaming curses at her and Tim, Tony talking excitedly to Ziva about how he knew McAbby would come through in the end, and even Gibbs muttering something about rule 12 pretty loudly.<br>But strangely none of that mattered as she saw the door swing open, Timmy, _her_ Timmy standing there in his normal attire, holding out his arms to her.

Throwing herself forwards she ran into his arms, hugging him so tightly she was sure he probably couldn't breathe, not that he seemed to care.

"I'm so glad you were around when they said 'Speak Now'."  
>He confessed in her ear, and at this she laughed. She was glad too, more than he could ever know.<p> 


	2. Hero

**A/N : This one is somewhat depressing as oneshots go, but I heard the song after not listening to it for a long time and this idea popped into my mind... not gonna lie, it was pretty sad to write it . R**eviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated, and that's all I really have to say apart from the fact that there is a major character death in this, so if you don't wanna know about that I'd stop reading after the line break. Anyway, I'll leave you to it! xD****

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the songs used, however much I'd like to, I'm just borrowing them for a little bit of fun! The only things I own are the scenarios and the OCs, which both come from my mind. :3**

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><p><strong>Song:<strong> Hero by Enrique Iglesias

**Warnings: **Major character death (You've been warned, but here's another warning to make sure. x3 )

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><p>"Damn it!"<br>Tim's voice exclaimed angrily, standing up and slamming his palms down on the surface of his desk, so hard that everything upon it shook like there'd been an earthquake.

"McGee? What's wrong?"  
>A sufficiently wide-eyed, startled Tony replied as he looked up from his paperwork, where he'd been rounding off the murder investigation they had finished that very afternoon, tying up all the legal loose ends. It had been a particularly difficult case to crack, a young female petty officer had been found shot in a back alley, and it had led them round in all sorts of different shapes, not just circles. They'd managed to get embroiled in arms, drugs, and booze all while chasing up leads, until they'd eventually found their man, which had led to a particularly tense shootout earlier that day. Ziva had very barely escaped with her life, and if Tony hadn't been such a quick shot she would surely have been a gonner.<p>

"Why can't I do anything right?"  
>Tim asked, running a hand through his hair with a sigh as he sat back down, resting his forehead on the cold wood.<p>

"Is this about earlier? If it is, it wasn't your fault, it's not like-"  
>He tried to reassure, but was quickly interrupted by an agitated McGee.<p>

"Yes it's about earlier! I should have taken the shot Tony! I hesitated, and that very well could have cost Ziva her life! There was just something in that mans eyes..."  
>He practically shouted as he looked up, letting his voice drop to a low mumble towards the end.<p>

"Well you shouldn't have been looking at his eyes Probie, you should have been looking at his hands, since coincidentally one of them was holding a gun to her head! But it doesn't matter now anyway, what's done is done."  
>He replied back, not thinking much of McGees outburst. Sure, it worried him, but McGee had acted up like this before, and within a few hours it would have blown over like it had never even happened, he was certain of it.<p>

"I'm going to see Abby."  
>Tim said decisively, getting to his feet once more and stalking off to the elevator, jamming the down button as the doors slid shut.<br>Leaning against the cool metal he sighed in an agitated fashion, closing his eyes as he tried to straighten out his confusing thoughts, of which there were many.

Some moments later the doors opened again, and the loud beat of Abbys music assaulted his ears as she saw her sat at one of her many computers, typing out a fast rhythm that matched the beat of the song playing surprising well.

"Abby?"  
>He asked, running an absent-minded hand through his hair as she swiveled round in her chair to look at him, tilting her head to the side at the expression on his face.<p>

"What's wrong?"  
>She asked, standing up and guiding him to sit in her chair, ignoring his protests.<p>

"Nothing, I-"

"Don't lie to me Tim."  
>She interrupted, leaning over him, placing her hands on the arm rests of the chair to support herself. He knew lying to her was pretty futile anyway, so he settled on telling her what he'd come down to her lab to say in the first place.<p>

"I... I can't do it anymore Abbs, Ziva almost lost her life today because of me! Everyone's just acting as if this isn't a problem, but if Tony hadn't been playing the hero today I honestly think she would have died right there and then and I'd still just be standing there fighting my conscience."

"It wasn't your fault, no one knew that he'd turn the gun on her or that he'd be such a psychopathic weirdo if we're getting into details.  
>Plus, Tony was there today, and Zivas fine... there's nothing wrong with having a conscience Mcgee, you should know that by now."<br>She said, staring him dead in the eyes in an effort to get through to him.

"I'll never be the heroic one Abby, I'll never be the hero in these situations, I'll always just be the geek who doesn't even have the guts to shoot a cold-blooded killer."  
>He stated with a sigh as he avoided her gaze, knowing his words to be the truth.<p>

"Then tell me this Mcgee, would you die for the ones you love?"  
>She asked assertively, taking him by surprise.<p>

"Yeah, 'course I would."  
>He answered, not even needing to think twice about his answer. It was true, he'd die if it meant saving any single one of the people he loved, that was a given really.<p>

"Then you're already a hero. You're _my_ hero."  
>She stated matter-of-factly, turning away from him as one of her computers dinged noisily, her high ebony bunches swinging back and forth lazily as she walked away to tend to it.<p>

Getting to his feet he readied himself to face the rest of the team again upstairs, as Ziva would surely have returned by now.

"I can be your hero then, I guess."  
>He said with a chuckle, walking towards the lift.<br>Just as he went to get in a new song started to play, slower than the last, though still pretty upbeat.

"Hey Abbs?"  
>He called over to her, and she twisted round to look at him questioningly, her fingers hovering over the keyboard in front of her.<p>

"Would you dance, if I asked you to dance?"  
>He asked, and she narrowed her eyes inquisitively, her mouth curving upwards into a grin as she shook her head in disbelief.<p>

"Well, are you asking me?"

"Maybe."  
>Closing the distance between them with four long strides she placed her hands on his shoulders as his found her waist, and their feet both moved in time with the music, Abby struggling to contain her laughter as he held her arm up so she could twirl around, a grin so bright on her face he was certain it put the sun to shame.<br>Maybe she was right, maybe that did make him a hero when all was said and done.

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><p>"So the gun that was found in the river was traced back to a Christopher Jones?"<br>Ziva asked, awaiting confirmation.

"Christopher Jones... where have I heard that name before?"  
>Gibbs pondered, ordering McGee to pull up a picture of him.<br>When he did however, Gibbs eyes actually widened, and he cursed under his breath.

"Wait, he's not _that_ Christopher is he? One of Abbys psycho exes?"  
>Tony queried, looking between McGee and Gibbs as if the answer would be written on their faces, which it pretty much was judging by their worried looks.<p>

"She has more than one?" Ziva questioned in disbelief, raising her eyebrows.

"Abby."  
>McGee and Gibbs said in almost perfect unison as they ignored the others, both of them racing for the stairs that would take them down to her lab, bypassing the elevator completely, Ziva and Tony in hot pursuit.<p>

They finally made it down to the lab some moments later, Tims pace unwavering as he stumbled out onto the lab floor, Gibbs hot on his heels.  
>What they both saw there however would surely never leave McGee for as long as he lived.<p>

There was Abby, hands raised, her face even paler than normal, every essence of colour drained out of it. And then there was Christopher, a gun in his hand pointed directly at her heart, around ten foot away from her.

Total silence hung in the air as the rest of the team skidded to a stop, catching their breath as Christopher looked between them and Abby, pointing at them and then her and back again in some sort of defensive tactic.

"Agents Gibbs, McGee, David, Dinozzo... I was hoping you'd all join me."  
>He stated with a smirk, and as McGee went to take a step forwards his eyes hardened.<p>

"One more move and she's dead!"  
>He shouted at them, cocking the gun as Abby very visibly flinched backwards, her eyes wide and fearful as she let her arms slowly drop.<p>

"Christopher, give me the gun, you know you don't want to do this."  
>Mcgee spoke in a soft voice as he addressed him personally, reaching his open palm out to Christopher in one slow, deliberate movement, just like how he'd been taught to all those years ago.<p>

"Ah, but the thing is McDim, I do."  
>He replied with a bitter laugh, tightening his grip on the weapon as he turned to point it at Tim, right between his eyes.<p>

"Do you know what she put me through?! Can you even imagine how I felt?! Can you?!"  
>He shouted, his hands shaking slightly as the adrenaline and anger pulsed through his veins.<p>

"I understand you went through a lot, but killing her isn't the answer, you know it isn't."  
>Tony responded in an equally soft tone as McGees, taking a very slow step forwards.<p>

"Yeah? And how would you know?!"  
>He muttered angrily, turning the gun to point back at Abby again, who hadn't moved an inch, rooted to the spot in utter terror more than anything.<p>

"Give me the gun Christopher."  
>Gibbs said in an even tone, taking the more direct approach as he realised they were getting nowhere soon, his hand outstretched as he took multiple steps forwards, only stopped by Christopher turning the gun to face him once again.<p>

"I said don't move!"  
>He hollered angrily, Gibbs now only probably ten foot away from him, his hand still reaching out for the gun.<p>

"Okay, okay, I won't move any further Christopher."  
>He stated, and Tim recognized the tactic instantly.<br>Keep the subject talking while someone else from your team diffuses the situation, using the first name repetitively to make it feel personal, text-book stuff. He could see Ziva right now actually, subtly gesturing to Abby to back away while he was distracted. She just shook her head slightly, signing something at McGee, who she had taught sign language to some time back.

'_ I can't, he'll kill me._'

' _You can do it, just take it a step at a time._ '  
>He signed back at her in an equally subtle movement as Gibbs kept Christopher engaged enough for him not to notice.<p>

' _I'll try._ '  
>She responded, taking a very shaky, tiny step backwards, and then another, slowly backing up and making her way towards a counter she could hide under.<br>Unfortunately for her however she hadn't seen the chair that was in her path, and he started rapidly signing to try warn her, a flash of realization crossing her face at the exact moment she backed into it. Yelping, she stumbled backwards, very much catching Christopher attention.

Suddenly chaos was all around McGee, gun shots resounding in the air around him as he ducked, blurs of people racing past filling his vision. A full on shootout was going on, impressive considering there was only one assailant, but his eyes were only looking for Abby.

They finally honed in on her shaking frame which was cowering by the now overturned chair, her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands over her head defensively. He realised she was unable to escape as bullets were whizzing everywhere, bouncing off every surface available, shattering her beloved computers and embedding themselves into various body parts of his team, though nothing detrimental yet from what he could see.

"Abigail!"  
>He shouted, knowing his rare use of her first name would catch her attention as she looked up at him from her knees, tears streaming down the sides of her face as she blinked rapidly, trying her best to clear her vision. Crouching down he got on his hands and knees, attempting to crawl over to her through the carnage, sustaining a bullet to his hand, not that he really cared at this point in time, he had bigger worries.<p>

Like that he wasn't going to make it in time.  
>All of a sudden things seemed to slow down, like time had decided to let him fully appreciate that moment of realization or something.<br>Abby hadn't even noticed the bullet as she'd got onto her feet, - though she was still in a low, bent over kind of position - shaking slightly as she tried to find cover under a desk, the bullet racing directly towards her oblivious head.

Before he even knew what he was doing he'd got to his rather unsteady feet, running directly at her.  
>Time seemed to move in slow motion as he felt the bullet tear through his abdomen, a through and through shot he suspected, the screams of Abby ringing in his ears. He barely felt the impact as he sprawled onto the ground in front of her, the pain he was experiencing absolutely excruciating.<p>

"McGee!"  
>She screeched hoarsely, and Tim felt himself being rolled onto his back, her salty tears splashing onto his face as she leant over him, trying her best to apply pressure to the wound as the fight died down around her, the body of Christopher riddled with bullet holes lying some foot away. He'd put up quite a fight, that was for sure.<p>

"I-I guess I can be y-your hero after all."  
>McGee spluttered out, coughing up hot, crimson blood that trickled out of the side of his mouth as he struggled to speak, reaching a shaky hand up to cup the side of her face, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.<p>

"Oh Timmy..."  
>She sobbed, leaning down and capturing his lips in her own, the coppery taste of blood mixing with the taste of her own tears.<p>

"I l-love you A-Abby."  
>He murmured in a barely audible voice as he spotted the rest of the team hurrying over, clutching their various injuries as their faces appeared in his slowly clouding vision.<p>

"I-I love you too Tim."  
>She responded, resting her head on his chest as she cried, hugging him tightly, her hands clutching at his shirt for dear life. He could still feel pressure on his wound as well, suggesting someone else was attempting to stop the blood flow, and the faint sound of Tony calling an ambulance could just be heard too. He realised with a strange acceptance that these were his final minutes, maybe seconds, and he honestly couldn't have asked for any people better than his team around him, the image of all of them being one of the last things his mind would process. His senses were swiftly starting to shut down too he noted, as his breathing became more and more laboured, coughs wracking his body as more blood came up... <em>too much blood<em>.

Kissing Abbys cheek in farewell as her face hovered above his once more, he let nature take over finally, watching wordlessly as his vision spotted with black, clouding at the edges as the spots became bigger, slowly obliterating Abbys tearful face as she kissed him again and again, sobs wracking her frame.  
><em>Goodbye<em>, he thought, knowing it would be the last thing on his mind as he slipped out of this world.

Abby watched through blurred eyes as his deep green ones slowly glazed over, his lungs releasing one last, long rattling breath, the blood from his wound having stained his shirt a deep red.

"Don't leave me! Please...d-don't leave...me..."  
>She whimpered, burying her head and crying into a chest that was no longer rising and falling, the heart contained within it having beat its last.<p>

'_I can be your hero, I guess_' her mind whispered, his laugh ringing in her ears, taking her back to their conversation a few days previously.

_I can be your hero._

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><p><strong>AN: Well, there you go! 'Twas pretty depressing, and i'm not sure I like the ending much (partly because i'm over critical of my writing), but I really ****tried, so I get brownie points for that right? **

**Also, I do apologise if any of them are a touch OOC, as not only do I like to incorporate the lyrics of the song into the writing (which is tricky in some cases), but I find it quite difficult to get into the mind of a character I haven't created, how they'd react to a situation, what they'd say and do etc... Anyway, enough of my wittering! See you next time, with a hopefully happier oneshot! x3**


	3. Christmases When You Were Mine

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this was a short oneshot I thought would be good to get me in the festive spirit... who am I kidding? This is a rather depressing Christmas themed one shot that I wrote on a whim, but liked enough to put on here. I know I said this one would be happier, but I just didn't have the inspiration for a happier one when I sat down to write. x3 **

**Anyway, i'll stop wittering in a second, but I hope you have a very Merry Christmas or whatever you may celebrate! :D**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS or any of the songs used sadly, however much i'd like to! I only own the scenarios and the OCs. :)**

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><p><strong>Song: <strong>Christmases When You Were Mine by Taylor Swift

**Warnings:** None :)

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><p>"Are you alright Abby? You seem... far away."<p>

Ziva asked her, snapping her fingers in front of Abbys face.

"Oh, yeah, i'm fine."  
>She replied distractedly, searching the room with her eyes. This wasn't her idea of fun if she was being honest, her family's annual christmas party.<br>Normally she hosted it herself, full of enthusiasm, but this year she just hadn't been feeling in the spirit of things - anything if she was being honest - so her mother had stepped into the breech, inviting all their friends and distant family. She could see her mother in the kitchen now actually, engaging one of their relations in conversation, though she kept sending worried glances at her every so often, her blue eyes betraying her emotions easily as she peeked out from behind her mop of curly brown hair.

"Are you sure?"  
>Ziva pressed, a glass held delicately in her hand as she examined Abbys face, looking for some confirmation of what she knew was wrong. She watched her eyes as she looked up at the boughs of mistletoe hung above doorways, and in not-so-subtle places around the entirety of Abby's parents house.<p>

"Actually Ziva, could you please take down the mistletoe for me? I just... don't want to think about that right now."  
>Abigail asked, earning her an eyebrow raise from Ziva, though she nodded, understanding and deciding not to press it further as she walked away to enlist Tonys help. They'd finally got together earlier that very month, and their relationship had been pretty much exactly the same as it had been before, the same flirtation, the same jokes, except now it wasn't an unusual occurrence to see Tony's arm wrapped around her or Zivas hand on his knee when they thought no one else was watching. Gibbs had accidentally 'overlooked' their relationship, just as he had McGee and Abbys earlier, casually avoiding the topic of rule 12 whenever it came close to cropping up. The meaning was clear, as long as it didn't interfere with your work, screw rule 12. Except unfortunately for Abby, it did interfere with her work, or more it did in her mind. Big time.<p>

Her and Tim had an on and off flirtation for years you see, but had only ever acted on it last year when he confessed everything to her, how he'd tried and failed to move on, how he didn't even care at that point if she reciprocated his feelings or not, he just had to tell her. They'd embarked on a slow relationship from there, they didn't even have to tell the others, everyone just somehow_ knew_. Maybe it had been the glances she'd send his way every so often, or maybe the fact that he would often use her first name excessively in conversation, either way everyone had somehow known that they were back on after all these years. Except, now they weren't. Everything that she wanted was far out of her reach now, in a snowy little town miles and miles away.

She remembered the night so clearly, a chilly December the first to be exact. He'd called it off this time, which had come as a shock to her. They'd been arguing over her lack of commitment, her fear of settling down with someone, and then suddenly that had been it. They were finished.

"_I can't take this Abbs... I can't do it anymore._"  
>And with that he'd walked out of her apartment, his heavy footsteps getting fainter and fainter as he headed down the stairs, leaving a sobbing Abby in his wake. Normally he'd have been there in a flash, holding her in his arms and telling her it would all be okay, but not this time. She'd had no one to turn to then, no warm embrace, no kind smile, not like she was used to anyway. There was Gibbs, but he wasn't exactly the man to go to for relationship advice, nor was Tony come to think of it. Which left Ziva. They hadn't had the best of relationships to begin with, rocky at best, but slowly they had come onto relatively good terms... not really relationship advice worthy good terms, but who else could she turn to? So on that night she'd called her up and sobbed down the phone for hours while Ziva listened intently, offering forwards words of comfort wherever she could. She was the only one who knew the full extent of their breakup, and nobody had the heart to push her for details anyway. All that they knew was that there had been a fallout, but since they acted pretty much the same at work nobody thought it could possibly be that bad. But that's all it was, <em>acting<em>.

Abby was doing fine without him, really, or at least that's what she kept telling herself as the nights grew colder, especially without him by her side. She could never even tell what was acting and what wasn't with Tim anymore, he was being the same as he always had, helping her out in the lab, bringing her Caf-Pows, generally being the friend he had been for all those years before. Except he wasn't here tonight. He'd been invited, she'd made certain of that, but he hadn't showed up for whatever reason.

Everybody else was there she noted as she surveyed the room, watching the couples cuddling up on the couches or complaining about the lack of mistletoe as Ziva and Tony worked together, removing every sprig they could find, Ziva fending off Tonys advances towards her with a light laugh.

_Seems like everybody's got someone to hold except me_, Abby thought bitterly, remembering the Christmas party of last year.  
>McGee had been helping her set up the lights, though it took far longer than it should of done considering the amount of playful flirting and banter going on, and his cousins had been very late to the party, an hour if she remembered correctl-<p>

"Merry Christmas Abigail!"  
>A voice interrupted her thoughts and she blinked slowly, bringing herself back to the present day.<br>Ducky stood before her, smiling broadly, a glass in his hand that she was sure had been refilled a few too many times.

"Oh, Merry Christmas!"  
>Abby replied, trying her best to appear cheerful and upbeat, more for his sake than her own.<br>The words had no meaning to her now she'd said them that many times, seasons greetings, hope you're well, the kind of statement you could say to people you've known for years and acquaintances alike without thinking twice.

"Oh, Mrs Sciuto! Merry Christmas!"  
>Ducky said happily as he moved away from her, heading for her mother who he'd just spotted coming out of the kitchen. Glancing around the room once more Abigail spotted a seat in the corner, empty and ignored, which she swiftly made her way over to, wishing that she could just be on her own right now.<p>

_He probably got his mom another sweater_ she thought with a sad smile, thinking of Timothys sweet nature and penchant for buying gifts that people weren't always exactly enamoured with, but loved purely because they'd been given with such thought and care on his part. His cousins were probably late again too, knowing them. She'd liked them, they were loud and a bit much at times, but great fun, especially at parties.

_Did he miss her presence?_ That was something she'd wondered practically every day since he left, running her hand through her unusually loose hair with a stifled sigh. _Did he even notice one less pair of hands when he was putting up the lights this year..?_

"It is done Abby."  
>Ziva stated, her arm linked with Tonys as they practically appeared out of thin air in front of her, faces serious as they looked down at her with worried, caring eyes.<p>

"Thank you."  
>She replied in little more than a whisper, forcing a wan smile to appear on her face, though she was very much aware they could see right through it.<p>

_I know this shouldn't be a lonely time, but there were Christmases when you were mine..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** **Apologies that it's quite so short, but I thought it would be a nice place to leave it (well as nice as a sad oneshot about a breakup can be). 'Til next time! :3**


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